Good Wednesday morning. The president begins his trip to the Middle East with a stop in Saudi Arabia, but VP Biden is still at home and he spoke at a business roundtable Tuesday where he said of the $787B stimulus plan spending: “We know some of this money is going to be wasted. … There are going to be mistakes made. … Some people are being scammed already. … Our credibility depends on transparency.”

“WEST WING” LIVE — NBC News set up for Brain Williams to broadcast “Nightly News” FROM THE EAST ROOM ahead of his behind-the-scenes, prime-time special, POLITICO’s Amie Parnes discovered. "Inside the Obama White House: Brian Williams Reports" aired part one Tuesday night. Among the revelations: A timeline of the WH’s Sotomayor “Latina” pushback. Plus: NSA Jim Jones is a “big Bono fan,” and the president doesn’t watch cable chatter. Part deux airs tonight, from 9 to 10 p.m. ET.

YA CAN’T MAKE IT UP: The American Society of Magazine Editors “Best Cover Contest” for 2009 includes among its 10 categories: “Best Obama Cover (featuring President Barack Obama).”

ADDITION BY SUBTRACTION — LaHood, Hunstman and now McHugh — is there any Republican from any region of the country that Obama isn’t looking to co-opt? POLITICO’s Charlie Mahtesian explores today.

THE SOTOMAYOR P.R. OFFENSIVE — POLITICO’s Manu Raju: “Democrats are also pushing an accelerated timetable for her confirmation, and are trying to lay the groundwork for a vote before the long August recess, despite Republican complaints that such a schedule wouldn’t give them enough time to scour Sotomayor’s judicial record. Democrats may lay out a hearing schedule before the end of the week, Senate sources said. The Democratic push — coming as Sotomayor had a whirlwind day of visits with 10 senators — is aimed at building momentum for her nomination, while pressuring Republicans not to slow or block her path to the Supreme Court. Sotomayor told several Democratic senators, in private meetings in the Capitol, that her comment that a ‘wise Latina woman’ could render a better judgment than a white male judge was part of a much broader speech and that ultimately she was committed to following the rule of law above anything else.”

JUST WHAT CONSERVATIVES ARE ASKING FOR? POLITICO’s Ken Vogel has obtained new White House talking points on the SCOTUS fight which touts a 1998 quote in the New York Times by a conservative lawyer who says Sotomayor is “exactly what conservatives want: a nonactivist judge who does not apply her own views but is bound by the law.”

BREAKING -- The president issued the following statement after his meeting with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer in the Oval Office on Tuesday afternoon: "Speaker Pelosi, Leader Hoyer, and I had a very productive discussion this afternoon about some of the major issues before Congress. The House of Representatives has a very busy legislative schedule ahead of them, and I am grateful for the leadership they are providing on our major priorities, including health care reform, energy reform, and restoring fiscal discipline."

FIRST OVERT 2012 MOVE — POLITICO’s Andy Barr: “Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced Tuesday that he’ll not seek a third term next year, clearing his plate for a potential run at the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. ‘When it comes to how long someone should stay in elected office, a little less is better than too much,’ Pawlenty said at news conference in St. Paul, Minn. ‘Time marches on, and now it’s time to give someone else a chance.’ … With no reelection campaign, … Pawlenty said he’s looking forward to more frequently injecting his voice into the national debate. … Republicans close to Pawlenty say the move should not be taken as a definitive sign that he’ll run for president, but pointed out that it clearly offers him more flexibility to explore the option. … The state has been trending Democratic in recent elections, and Pawlenty’s exit likely offers Democrats a betters chance to pick up the state governorship.”

— “Josh Romney would consider lieutenant-governor position,” by Lisa Riley Roche of the (Salt Lake City) Deseret News: “Romney, the son of former Salt Lake Olympic leader Mitt Romney, told the Deseret News … he won't run for governor himself in 2010. But he didn't rule out serving as soon-to-be-governor Gary Herbert's No. 2. ‘It's definitely not something I'm actively campaigning for,’ Josh Romney said. ‘If it were offered to me, I would give it serious consideration.’” (hat tip: Michael Joseph Kennedy)

DRIVING THE CONVERSATION — Why Richard Wolffe wrote his new book, “Renegade: The Making of a President,” according to his personal Web site: “I have to admit, it wasn’t my idea to write the book; it was Barack Obama’s. Early in the primary season, he floated the notion of me writing a modern version of Teddy White’s classic The Making of the President 1960. I brushed him off, saying that was ridiculously old-fashioned. He looked crestfallen and moved on. A few weeks later, after talking to friends and colleagues, I reconsidered my hasty dismissal. This was clearly a campaign and an election unlike any others in living memory. The candidate was an enigma — partly because he was so new, and partly because he kept himself hidden. … My goal was not to write a book like Teddy White’s, retelling the tale of the campaign. Instead, I wanted to answer what I thought would be the enduring question about Barack Obama: who is he? … It struck me that Renegade, his Secret Service code name, was a good place to start in trying to define this elusive, semi-obscured character.”

Switching to Saudi time as the president boards Air Force One — Dems push for Sotomayor vote before August recess — Pawlenty retires, opening door to 2012

JERSEY HEATS UP — Former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie wins the New Jersey GOP primary with 55 percent of the vote, outdistancing the more conservative Steve Lonegan’s 42 percent. Embattled Gov. Jon Corzine nabs 77 percent of the Democratic primary vote and POLITICO’s Michael Falcone reports the gloves are off from the start. Christie: “For the past four years Jon Corzine has made bad choices — choices that have plunged New Jersey deeper into debt, increased the tax burden on working families, and driven business across our brooders to Pennsylvania, Delaware and even New York. That is unacceptable.” Corzine: “Our opponents promise the moon. …They want to cut government, increase spending, slash taxes and balance the budget. They’ve got this so-called secret plan. They won’t tell you whose taxes they’re going to cut — they’re going to check with George Bush about that.”

HIT DELETE — Per the New York Times: “The federal government mistakenly made public a 266-page report, its pages marked “highly confidential,” that gives detailed information about hundreds of the nation’s civilian nuclear sites and programs, including maps showing the precise locations of stockpiles of fuel for nuclear weapons.” No worries, the paper notes many experts are unconcerned because much of the info was already public.

OUT NOW: “WOMENOMICS: Write Your Own Rules For Success,” by ABC’s Claire Shipman and BBC’s Katty Kay: “Shipman and Kay show their readers how to capitalize on … the growing power of women in the workplace. They argue women can and should define success for themselves, even if that means counterintuitive career moves, such as turning down promotions and kicking down the corporate ladder. … They also look at some Womenomics-friendly companies like Capital One, Sun Microsystems, and Best Buy… WOMENOMICS gives a groundbreaking blueprint for putting an end to the struggling and juggling — and offers advice, guidance, and fact-based support to prove you don’t have to do it all to have it all. “ $18.47 from Amazon.

FEB. 6, 2011 WILL BE THE 100th ANNIVERSARY OF RONALD REAGAN’S BIRTH — Statement by the President on the Signing of the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act: “Today I am pleased today to sign into law, H.R. 131, which will create a Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission with the responsibility to plan, develop, and carry out activities to honor Ronald Reagan on the 100th anniversary of his birth. It is fitting that the life of our 40th president be commemorated on this occasion. The bill provides that the Commission will be composed of the Secretary of the Interior, four individuals whom I will appoint after considering the recommendations of the Board of Trustees of the Ronald Reagan Foundation, and six members of Congress appointed by the congressional leadership. I wholeheartedly welcome the participation of members of Congress in the activities of the Commission.”

MRS. REAGAN, AS PRESIDENT OBAMA SIGNED THE BILL IN THE DIPLOMATIC ROOM: “Oh, you're a lefty.”

PRESIDENT OBAMA: “I am lefty — (laughter) — although I think that President Reagan's signature was more legible than mine.”

STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY chairman, president and CEO Howard Schultz wrote a two-page letter yesterday to Larry Summers and Nancy-Ann DeParle, with a copy to Valerie Jarrett, on two topics:

1) Health Care Reform: “Starbucks advocates and supports health care reform. We encourage our lawmakers to move toward universal coverage for all Americans and to create a new system that offers attractive incentives for people to participate. We support any reform that moves us forward, including a public plan option if that is what our leadership recommends as the route necessary for change. A public plan option should be a fair, sensible approach that allows for a free and private market, which is essential. “

2) Health and Wellness: “We support recent legislative moves intended to help customers be more informed about the food they are consuming and those asking companies to take action on certain ingredients. … Over the past year, we expanded our food menu to include a variety of healthier options, including a yogurt parfait, fruit cups, protein plate, Vivanno Smoothies, and Perfect Oatmeal. And later this month, we will eliminate the unnecessary ‘stuff’ from our entire food offering: artificial flavors, artificial colors and dyes, artificial trans fats, high-fructose corn syrup; and we’ve eliminated artificial sweeteners and preservatives where we can. Our commitment over the next 18 months is to increase the scope of our healthy food and beverage choices, continue to reduce calories, lower the levels of sodium in our food and make it easier for customers to find the healthier options in our stores.”

PUNDIT PREP — PREVIEWING THE PRESIDENT’S TRIP:

— “Analysis: Obama gets tough with Israel,” by AP’s Steven R. Hurst: “Obama has gotten tough with Israel and chosen Cairo — where President Hosni Mubarak rules with a firm hand — for his much-awaited overture to the Islamic world in what appears to be a clear break from decades of U.S. policy. Many issues cloud American relations with the Muslim world, but none rankles like U.S. ties to Israel and massive support for the Jewish state in the heart of the Arab Middle East.”

— “Obama launches maiden Middle East mission,” by AFP’s Stephen Collinson: “Obama embarks on his first regional Middle East mission Tuesday, seeking Arab backing for his bid to revive peace moves while a US confrontation steadily builds with Israel. On a trip highlighted by his long-awaited address to the Muslim world in Cairo on Thursday, Obama will also attempt to prod moribund regional peace diplomacy back to life. He will fly first to Saudi Arabia for talks with King Abdullah, who has been trying to relaunch a 2002 Arab-backed initiative.”

— “Obama to address tough issues in speech to Muslims,” by Reuters’ David Alexander and Ross Colvin: “Obama will try to repair U.S. ties to the Islamic world this week in a speech from the Middle East that aides say will reach out to Muslims but deal with tough issues like the peace process and violent extremism. Obama … will use his address to try to repair some of the damage to America's image caused by the Iraq war, U.S. treatment of military detainees and the lack of progress in Mideast peace talks. ‘This is about resetting our relations with the Muslim world,’ White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters before Obama's departure. ‘We don't expect that everything will change after one speech. It will take a sustained effort.’”

— “Obama May Need ‘Magician’ Skills in Cairo to Reach All Muslims,” by Daniel Williams and Edwin Chen: “Obama says he hopes his June 4 speech to the Muslim world will repair broken trust. He may find his audience disagrees on what needs to be fixed. Resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, say some. Dispel Western perceptions all Muslims are terrorists, say others. Then there are those focused on what the U.S. should — or shouldn't — do about civil-liberties breaches in Islamic countries.”

— “Obama to stress renewed US-Muslim ties,” by AP’s Liz Sidoti: “Obama will stress what the White House calls his personal commitment ‘based upon mutual interests and mutual respect’ to strengthening U.S. ties to the Muslim world in a much-anticipated speech in Egypt next week. White House advisers said Friday that Obama will continue his outreach to Muslims, which began with striking words in his inaugural address, as he embarks on an overseas trip that will both commemorate the past and look to the future.”

— “Waiting for Obama: Muslims want tangible change on Mideast,” by AP’s Hadeel Al-Shalchi and Karin Laub, in Cairo: “Respect for Islam, a prescription for Palestinian statehood and assurances of a speedy U.S. pullout from Iraq — that's what Muslims from Morocco to Malaysia say they want to hear from President Barack Obama this week when he addresses them from this Arab capital. His speech Thursday from Cairo University will try to soften the fury toward the United States among so many of the world's 1.5 billion Muslims, ignited by the U.S. occupation of Iraq and the hands-off attitude toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict of his predecessor George W. Bush.”

— “Analysis: Muslims want more than fine talk from Obama,” by Reuters’ Alistair Lyon, in Beirut: “Obama has awoken hope for redress of grievances in the hearts of some of the more than a billion Muslims scattered in diverse communities across the globe. To win their minds, skeptical after a ‘war on terror’ waged by his predecessor George W. Bush that many saw as an assault on Islam, Obama must follow his speech to the Muslim world this week with evidence of real change in U.S. policy and outlook.”

— “Obama speech to Muslims key to new U.S. strategy,” by Reuters’ Ross Colvin: “President Barack Obama will try to repair America's tarnished image in the Muslim world on Thursday, as he looks to mobilize support for restarting Middle East peacemaking and thwarting Iran's nuclear ambitions. In a highly anticipated speech in Cairo, Obama will reach out to the world's more than 1 billion Muslims, seeking to chart a new path in U.S.-Muslim relations that were badly damaged by the Bush administration's global war on terror.”

— “Obama seeks new start with Muslim world,” by AFP’s Stephen Collinson: “Obama will journey to the center of Arab-Muslim civilization this week, to begin the daunting task of draining deep mistrust of the United States felt across the Islamic world. In Egypt on Thursday, Obama will make a personal address to the world's Muslims, harnessing his own ancestral ties to Islam and globalizing his message of change in a speech rich in trademark political ambition. Obama's trip next week to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and World War II commemorations in France and Germany, comes as some observers scent a moment of opportunity amid the perpetual Middle East crisis. But others see only peril, with a showdown gathering pace between Washington and Israel over Jewish settlements and no end in sight to Iran's nuclear drive. Obama targeted reconciliation with Islam and rigorous Middle East diplomacy from his first moments in office.”

SPORTS BLINK — Sports Illustrated release on the new cover: “features high school baseball star Bryce Harper — the first high school athlete to grace the cover since Brian Brohm on November 18, 2002 — with the billing Baseball’s Chosen One: Bryce Harper is Sport’s Biggest Prodigy Since LeBron James. The average baseball fan does not know Bryce Harper’s name, but every big league scouting director does. He hits 500-foot home runs, clocks 96 mph on the radar gun and is more advanced than Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr. were at the same age — and he’s just 16 years old. … This week’s regional cover — available to readers in the Upper Midwest — features Jonathan Ericsson, Chris Osgood and Henrik Zetterberg of the Detroit Red Wings with the billing Motown Cool: The Wings Close In on Stanley Cup Number 12. By draping Sidney Crosby with their top defenders each time he took the ice in Games 1 and 2, the Red Wings moved two steps closer to their second consecutive Stanley Cup.”

WHERE’S THE LOVE? The overnights from Conan O’Brien’s “Tonight Show” debut were reportedly big but Tom Shales says it was “too much Conan, too little ‘Tonight.’”: “There's every indication that O'Brien will be up to the job of his illustrious predecessors, but he should be confident enough to share the stage with his guests and co-stars.”

— John Podesta, Center for American Progress: “I am going to my condo in Truckee [Calif.], like I do every year — will sit on my porch and do conference calls 50 feet from where the Donner Party ate each other.”

— Sally Quinn, journalist: “We’re doing what we do every year, which is to go to Grey Gardens, our house in the Hamptons. We go from the beginning of August to Labor Day, and we spend a lot of time in the garden, looking at the water and walking on the beach for two hours every day and having a lot of family and friends coming to stay with us. We don’t do a lot of socializing. We really try to stay home and have family dinner and dinner with our pals and not go to a lot of parties. We did that for a while and then realized it’s not like a vacation. I like to go for a walk on the beach late in the afternoon, come back around 6:30 p.m., take a shower, have cocktails and an early supper, and go to bed. We will work, too.”

To the CEO of Starbucks, I'd suggest a third bullet. Something along the lines of:

"As a proud supporter of recent governmental efforts, Starbucks will do its best to help fund all new governmental programs. Towards that end, our prices will begin to reflect anticipated inflation due to recent liquidity moves by the Fed. Additionally, as some projections show, current spending will add a significant tax burden to those fortunate few who are upper echelon wage earners. We at Starbucks don't believe it's appropriate to wait for government action. Now is the time to act. As coffee can be considered a discressionary spending item, we can assume that our customers 'have' discressionary spending. That money can and should be added to the effort to provide healthcare to those without. Henceforth, we will include a 15% price increase to our customers who clearly have more, in order that the government can give to those that have less. It's just the right thing to do."

....or as an alternative, they could just stick to making expensive coffee. Yeah..Yeah...that's probably what they should do.

...or course, now that you've got me started, why stop! Though I haven't, as yet, drank the Obama Coolaide, there's no reason why the 'hidden marketeer within' can't srping forth. C'mon....Coolaide? That stuff's bad for you. Why not go for a paradigm shift and market coffee instead. Starbucks could start a 'Drink the Obama Coffee' campaign. For every signature on a petition to fund everything for everyone, you get a free cup of 'Obama Joe' or "J-Obama'. Yes.. I know...a nice play on the Coffee/Biden thing. Don't thank me....it's my small contribution to utopia.

her comment that a ‘wise Latina woman’ could render a better judgment than a white male judge was part of a much broader speech and that ultimately she was committed to following the rule of law above anything else.”

NOT SO....SAYS THE NEW YORK TIMES.....SOTOMAYOR'S RULINGS HAVE BEEN BASED ON RACE AND NATIONAL ORITING...MORE TROUBLING...........DOES THIS DEFINE PRESIDENT OBAMA TOO? HE CHOSE HER. >>>>>>>>

"June 2, 2009..........Patrick J. Buchanan..........Human Events If the U.S. Senate rejects race-based justice, Sonia Sotomayor will never sit on the Supreme Court. Because that is what Sonia is all about. As The New York Times reported Saturday, the salient cause of her career has been advancing persons of color, over whites, based on race and national origin. "Judge Sotomayor, whose parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico," writes reporter David Kirkpatrick, "has championed the importance of considering race and ethnicity in admissions, hiring and even judicial selection at almost every stage of her career." At Princeton, she headed up Accion Puertorriquena, which filed a complaint with the Department of Health, Education and Welfare demanding that her school hire Hispanic teachers. At Yale, she co-chaired a coalition of non-black minorities of color that demanded more Latino professors and administrators. At Yale, she "shared the alarm of others in the group when the Supreme Court prohibited the use of quotas in university admissions in the 1978 decision Regents of the University of California v. Bakke." Alan Bakke was an applicant to the UC medical school at Davis who was rejected, though his test scores were higher than almost all of the minority students who were admitted. Bakke was white. After Yale, Sotomayor joined the National Council of La Raza and the board of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund. Both promote race and ethnic preferences, affirmative action and quotas for Hispanics. But why should Puerto Ricans like Sotomayor, who were never subjected to slavery or Jim Crow -- their island was liberated from Spain in 1898 by the United States -- get racial or ethnic preferences over Polish- or Portuguese-Americans? What is the justification for this kind of discrimination? Like Lani Guinier, the Clinton appointee rejected for reverse racism, Sonia Sotomayor is a quota queen. She believes in, preaches and practices race-based justice. Her burying the appeal of the white New Haven firefighters, who were denied promotions they had won in competitive exams, was a no-brainer for her. In her world, equal justice takes a back seat to tribal justice. Now, people often come out to vote for one of their own. Catholics for JFK, evangelicals for Mike Huckabee, women for Hillary Clinton, Mormons for Mitt Romney, Jews for Joe Lieberman and African-Americans for Barack Obama. That is political reality and an exercise of political freedom. But tribal justice is un-American. In the 1950s and 1960s, this country reached consensus that denying black men and women the equal opportunity to advance and succeed must come to an end. Discrimination based on race, color or ethnicity, we agreed, was wrong. Sotomayor, however, has an exception to the no-discrimination rule. She believes in no discrimination, unless done to white males and to benefit people like her. How can any Republican senator vote to elevate to the Supreme Court a judge who, all her life, has believed in, preached and practiced race discrimination against white males, without endorsing the Obama-Sotomayor view that diversity trumps equal justice, and race-based justice should have its own seat on the high court? Down the path Sotomayor would take us lies an America where Hispanic justices rule for Hispanics, black judges rule for blacks and white judges rule for white folks. It is an America where who gets admitted to the best colleges and universities is not decided on grades and academic excellence, but on race and ethnicity, where advancement in jobs and careers depends not on aptitude and ability, but on where your grandparents came from. On principle, Republicans cannot support Sonia Sotomayor. And politically, if they do, why should the white working man and woman ever vote Republican again, as it is they who are the designated victims of the race-based justice of Sonia Sotomayor? It was Richard Nixon who brought the white working class, North and South, into his New Majority, when he increased the Republican presidential vote from 43 percent in 1968 to 61 percent in 1972. Ronald Reagan solidified this base. But why should the white working and middle class stay with the GOP? Its presidents exported their jobs to Mexico, China and Asia, and threw open America's doors to tens of millions, legal and illegal, from the Third World, who have swamped their cities and towns. If the GOP will not end race-based affirmative action, which threatens the futures of their children, why vote for the GOP? Why should white folks vote for anyone who says, "We are against race discrimination, unless it is discrimination against you"? Obama would not have selected Sotomayor if he did not share her convictions. And there is nothing in his writings or career to hint at disagreement. Thus it comes down to the senators, especially the Republicans. A vote for Sonia Sotomayor is a vote to affirm that race-based justice deserves its own seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. But if that happens, it will not only be the race consciousness of Hispanics that will be on the rise in the good old U.S.A.

My column today contrasts the White House and media responses to the Tiller murder with their silence on the deadly military recruiter attack. In the latest developments on the recruiter case, more targets were reportedly found on Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad’s computer. Yesterday, investigators said he told them “he would have killed more soldiers had they been in the parking lot.”

Don’t miss the heart-wrenching interview with the father of murdered Pvt. William Long here.

Still no comment from President Obama…

When a right-wing Christian vigilante kills, millions of fingers pull the trigger. When a left-wing Muslim vigilante kills, he kills alone. These are the instantly ossifying narratives in the Sunday shooting death of Kansas late-term abortionist George Tiller versus the Monday shootings of two Arkansas military recruiters. Tiller’s suspected murderer, Scott Roeder, was white, Christian, anti-government, and anti-abortion. The gunman in the military recruiting center attack, Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad, was black, a Muslim convert, anti-military, and anti-American. Both crimes are despicable, cowardly acts of domestic terrorism. But the disparate treatment of the two brutal cases by both the White House and the media is striking.

President Obama issued a statement condemning “heinous acts of violence” within hours of Tiller’s death. The Justice Department issued its own statement and sent federal marshals to protect abortion clinics. News anchors and headline writers abandoned all qualms about labeling the gunman a terrorist. An almost gleeful excess of mainstream commentary poured forth on the climates of hate and fear created by conservative talk radio, blogs, and Fox News for reporting Tiller’s activities. By contrast, President Obama was silent about the military recruiter attacks that left 24-year-old Private William Long dead and 18-year-old Private Quinton Ezeagwula gravely wounded. On Tuesday afternoon – more than 24 hours after the attack on the military recruiting center in Little Rock – President Obama held a press conference to announce his pick for Army Secretary. It would have been exactly the right moment to express condolences for the families of the targeted Army recruiters and to condemn heinous acts of violence against our troops.

But President Obama said nothing. The Justice Department was mum. And so were the legions of finger-pointing pundits happily convicting the pro-life movement and every right-leaning writer on the planet of contributing to the murder of George Tiller. Obama’s omission, it should be noted, comes just a few weeks after he failed to mention the Bronx jihadi plot to bomb synagogues and a National Guard airbase during his speech on homeland security. Why the silence? Politically and religiously-motivated violence, it seems, is only worth lamenting when it demonizes opponents. Which also helps explain why the phrase “lone shooter” is ubiquitous in media coverage of jihadi shooters gone wild – think convicted Jeep Jihadi Mohammed Taheri-Azar at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill or Israel-bashing gunman Naveed Haq who targeted a Seattle Jewish charity or Los Angeles International Airport shooter Hesham Hedayet who opened fire at the El Al Israeli airline ticket counter– but not in cases involving rare acts of anti-abortion violence.

Even Jeffrey Goldberg of the left-leaning Atlantic magazine noticed the double standards. He called attention to a National Public Radio report on the military recruiter attack that failed to mention the religion and anti-military animus of the suspect. Wrote Goldberg: “Why not tell people what is actually happening in the world? We saw this a couple of weeks ago, when the press only gingerly acknowledged that the malevolent though incompetent suspects in the synagogue bombing-conspiracy case in New York were converts to Islam. How is the public served by this kind of silence? The extremist Christian beliefs of George Tiller’s alleged murderer are certainly relevant to that case, and no one in my profession is hesitant to discuss them. Why the hesitancy to talk about the motivations of the man who allegedly killed Pvt. William Long?”

The truth is that the “climate of hate” doesn’t have just one hemisphere. But you won’t hear the Council on American Islamic Relations acknowledging the national security risks of jihadi infiltrators who despise our military and have plotted against our troops from within the ranks – including convicted fragging killer Hasan Akbar and terror plotters Ali Mohamed, Jeffrey Battle, and Semi Osman. You won’t hear about the escalating war on military recruitment centers on the op-ed pages of the New York Times – from vandalism to obstruction to Molotov cocktail attacks on campus stations across the country; to the shutdown of a Pittsburgh military recruitment office by zealots holding signs that read “Recruiters are Child Predators;” to the prolonged harassment campaign against the Marine recruiting center in Berkeley, where Code Pink protesters called America soldiers assassins; to the bomb blast at the Times Square recruiting center last March. And you’ll certainly hear little about the most recent left-wing calls to violence by a Playboy magazine writer who published a vulgar list of conservative female writers and commentators he said he’d like to rape (the obscene slang word he used is not printable). The list was hyped by the magazine’s publicity team and light-heartedly promoted by mainstream publications such as Politico.com (founded by Washington Post reporters).

The republicans complain that Obama mistreated Sam Alito by daring to suport a filibuster. But what they dont' want the press or you and I to remember is, that when the dems talked about a filibuster, Senate Majority Leader, Bill First, threatened to abolish the senate rule that allows for a filibuster. First called it his "nuclear option" If the lunatic fringe of the republicans get too hateful and crazy about Judge Sotomayor, Harry Reid who is now the new Majority Leader could return Senator Frist's favor and eliminate the filbuster from the Senate rules and confirm Sotomayor by a majority vote in very short order. The filibuster is NOT a constitutional right, or even a law-it's simply a senate rule that be abolished by a majority vote in the senat

The political reality is that a filibuster can be killed by a simple majority vote all the majority party has to do is change the senate rules disallowing filibusters and then confirm her by simple majority vote they dont need 60 votes - if Reid wants to stoop to the level of Bill Frist, the former majority leader who ran roughshod over the minority party when republicans were in the majority.